America's Brainiest City? Boulder

Website Ranks U.S. Cities by Graduate, Professional Degrees

Boulder-Flatirons-24817760.jpg


(Photo courtesy: Colorado.edu)

Posted: 08/30/2010
Last Updated: 1025 days ago

What's the "brainiest" city n the United States?

If you go by the rankings of a popular news blog website, it's Boulder Colo.

The Daily Beast listed its top 20 brainiest cities and Boulder came out at No. 1. The website based its ranking on the percentage of local adults with degrees in science and computer math as well as the share of those with graduate and professional degrees.

“Boulder is known as a liberal enclave, but it’s also home to the top-notch University of Colorado at Boulder, which has some of the nation’s best science programs,” the Daily Beast website proclaims. "The city is also the base for a number of major science research centers, including the National Center for Atmospheric Research, the Space Science Institute, and the Rocky Mountain Institute.”

The website failed to mention Boulder is also home of the National Institute of Standards and Technology Boulder lab -- one of two NIST labs in the country -- and the Space Weather Prediction Center.

Nearly a quarter -- 24.22 percent -- of Boulder adults hold a graduate or professional degree, 7.84 percent have one in computer math and 3.15 percent have a science degree, according to The Daily Beast.

Durham, N.C., came in second on the list, behind Boulder, followed by the Washington, D.C., area. Boston and Trenton-Ewing, N.J. rounded out the top five.


Report a typo or inaccuracy

If you have a news tip or a follow-up to this story, e-mail us.

Trending Now